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♪ edition of "world news now." welcome back. our coverage of the terror at the boston marathon continues. >> the toll of yesterday's tragedy in deaths and injuries is no doubt horrific. but the emotional effects of those who were there and saw it will linger for a long time. here's what the people who were

there, who lived through this tragic event experienced. >> it sounded just like a bomb. what i thought a bomb would sound like. absolutely horrified. it was very loud. the ground shook. you could just feel it going down through you. >> the explosion went off right by the finish line, the boom, you felt it. it hurt your ears. >> something just blew up! >> run! go! >> i saw a trash can explode. people started throwing down the barricade and running over each other. i ran the other direction as fast as i could. >> i live in the city. this is like the scariest thing i ever experienced. people in the restaurant i work were trying to get away from the scene, far away. people were walking across the bridge like an exodus to cambridge. >> i saw runners in front of me fall, stunned from the injuries. then i looked over and saw just a pile of bodies. the worst thing i think i have

ever seen in my life. mangled limbs. people not breathing. i just interviewed a nurse here on the scene who said she treated dozens of people, including children. many people with severe trauma, pulmonary distress, you name it. >> they responded within 15 seconds. you saw everybody coming down here. the medical team responded instantly. >> i'm a college student in boston, and you think patriots damon and you don't think anything like this will ever happen in a day like in this boston. >> you know, you hear and see these pictures. it gets you so disheartened about humanity on some level, but then you see those people running and you see how heroic they are and you realize, people are good. >> yeah, running toward the explosion. you know, we're getting a lot of reaction out of this, obviously, but something we're also getting is intemprnational reaction.

it's coming in. we have just gotten from pakistan. pakistan government issued a statement today that said, condemned this heinous act of terrorism in the strongest possible terms and hope the perpetrators of this barbaric act will be brought to justice. they're not the only one. the prime minister, david cameron says the scenes from boston are shocking and horrific. my thoughts are with all of those who have been affected. when we return, we'll take a look at the other top headlines this tuesday. including the fight for immigration reform and the deal expected today on capitol hill. you're watching "world news now." y on capitol hill. you are watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. w" continues after this from our abc stations. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

turning away from our top story and moving on to other headlines this morning. beginning with immigration reform. a new bill introduced by bipartisan group of senators today including billions of dollars to secure the u.s. border with mexico.

a billion and a half dollars will go toward building new border fences. supporters of rewriting the nation's immigration laws gathered at capitol hill yesterday to put pressure on lawmakers. >> make sure that they hear from you. that they know without a doubt in their mind that keeping their jobs depends on them supporting comprehensive immigration reform. >> what we're seeing right now is an incredible amount of support, both from the left and from the right. >> the new proposal also puts millions of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship. but only if they arrived in the u.s. before the end of 2011. those who have been charged with crimes, would not be eligible. president obama will host south korea's newly elected first female president at the white house next month. they will observe the 60th anniversary of the alliance between the u.s. and south korea. also high on their agenda, efforts to counter the nuclear threat posed by north korea. in venezuela, demand for a recount in the presidential election. ballots were ignored leading to an anti-government protest. the election results were certified. the winner by a razor thin

margin less than one percentage point hand-picked by president late hugo chavez to carry on the separatist union. following the boston bombings, scotland yard is beefing up the already extraordinary security measures they already put in place for margaret thatcher's funeral tomorrow. hundreds of military troops will be visible along the procession route through the streets of london. and with so many dignitaries that are expected to attend shortstops, including queen elizabeth and former prime minister, scotland yard is fine tuning its behind the scenes security operation as well. all right. when wall street opens this morning, traders will be trying to shake off the worst losses in the year. concerns about economic slowdown in china brought on plenty of selling yesterday. the dow lost 266 points, nearly 2%. the other major averages were down significantly. it was the biggest drop for stocks since early november. >> right now we'll take a look at your tuesday weather.

stormy from texas to ohio with hail and wind as high as 70 miles per hour. afternoon showers from vermont to pittsburgh. thunderstorms in southern florida. rain in the pacific northwest, mountain snow in the northwest as well. and later into the dakotas. >> all right. 30s from billings to far dough. mid-60s in the northeast and 80s in the south. still ahead, our conch of the boston marathon attack continues. >> when we return, we'll hear from a survivor of the bombings. bombings, a 78-year-old man knocked down by the blast. like it has for so many people before. do not take lunesta if you are allergic to anything in it. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. lunesta should not be taken together with alcohol. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion.

in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as $15 at lunesta.com there's a land of restful sleep, we can help you go there, on the wings of lunesta.

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we hear his story from linsey davis. >> reporter: it's an image that stays with you. the moment of the explosion, bill igfrid is knocked to the ground, surrounded by smoke, just 15 feet shy of crossing the finish line of what would be his third boston marathon finish. >> i could see the finishing ramp. when i got within about 15 feet. just a horrendous explosion occurred. i didn't know where at the time. just -- >> reporter: cue see it or just hear it? >> i could hear it. >> reporter: he approached the finish line 3:50 after he started the race, right in the middle of the pack. he was feeling great until he unexpectedly collapsed. >> my whole body was crumbling like. and i was going down. and, boy, this is going to be the end. maybe this is going to be my last trip. i didn't have any idea what was going on. >> reporter: the 78-year-old then crossed the finish line aided by volunteers and walked six blocks back to his hotel,

not sure what had happened. >> i figured that was some kind of a bomb that went off. but really didn't know what to think. >> reporter: what way was the finish line? the finish line was this way? >> yeah. the bomb was behind me. yeah, i didn't think of any possibility of another bomb going off up by the finish line. and then after i was up and walking over, then the other bomb went off. it was loud. i mean, really loud. my whole eardrums, when i got back here, i couldn't hardly hear anything. it was tremendous. >> reporter: it's a story of tragedy and triumph for bill, who far more than just finishing a race s just relieved to be here to talk about it. linsey davis in boston. >> god bless him and the people of boston. >> you got that right. we leave you this half hour, an image of hope. >> the building of m.i.t. lit to

resemble the american flag, the symbol of resilience of the american people. stay tuned for more coverage from abc.

terror at the boston terror at the boston marathon. twin explosions shatter a celebration, turning a day of joy into a deadly nightmare. >> leave the area immediately. >> i literally saw the garbage barrel explode. i saw the flash, the fire, the smoke. i ran as fast as i could. >> the finish line of the iconic event a scene of horror. >> i looked over and saw just a

pile of bodies, the worst thing i think i've ever seen in my life. >> this morning, fierce resolve solve the crime and bring a killer to justice. >> make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this and we we will find out who did this. >> it is tuesday, april 16th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now" with john muller and diana perez. and good morning. it was a day that was supposed to be a celebration with one of the nation's longest running sporting events at its core. >> the boston marathon always getting plenty of attention, unfortunately, this year it's for all the wrong reasons. [ explosion ] >> that was the sound that runners, fans and those providing support near the marathon's finish line heard yesterday when the explosions went off. one witness called the aftermath

more like baghdad than boston. >> at this hour, 100, perhaps 150 people reported injured. many of the injuries grave. at least three people have died. the national guard is securing the crime scene. while the fbi leads the investigation and the search for suspects. >> a massive effort under way this morning to find out who was responsible for the deadly attack. >> fragments in the exploded bombs will be key to determining how these crude device were put together. abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas following the investigation. >> reporter: it is dramatic videos like this and this, captured at the scene of the horrific blast that investigators will be combing through for clues of what happened. two bomb bombs exploding within seconds of each other and only 100 yards apart. the bombs were small, portable devices that could have been carried in a backpack, he's lis concealed among the thousands of spectators. that's what makes this investigation so difficult. authorities say there are no suspects, the bombs caused

terrible injuries and hospitals reported seeing shrapnel wounds. >> there's a lot of small metal debris. some people have -- have asked already about whether these were bbs or parts of bombs. i just don't think we're able to say whether these were small bits of metal placed there intentionally or part of the environment. >> reporter: shrapnel is just one of the clues investigators will be looking at. >> there are fragments everywhere, there are fragments everywhere, there are fragments within the victims. fragments in the sidewalk. what they're going to be able to do is probably reconstruct the timer device, what was used, they're going to look at the components of the bomb, able to tell them is this just somebody that put this together over the internet or is this a bomb maker? >> reporter: hundreds of state and federal investigators have descended on boston to try to find out who could have built the bombs and set them off. >> there are federal, state and local law enforcement all on scene and coordinating very close ly. the fbi has taken charge of the investigation. >> reporter: this type of attack

has long been law enforcement's worst fear, a soft target where suspects can easily blend in and inflict mass casualties. the boston marathon is a heavily policed event. more than 500 national guard troops were on scene as well as members of the boston police and fire departments. but that did not prevent this from happening. >> anyone can walk up to the sidelines on the stretch of boylston street, anybody can get off the subway or bicycle in or walk down, and walk right up to the lines where this bomb took place. it would be impossible to screen everybody along the 26-mile route of a marathon. >> reporter: cities around the nation now on high alert. bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling the streets of chicago. airports in washington and new york, stepping up their security. in new york, the stepped-up police presence could be seen everywhere. police cars lined the streets in

times square, which itself was the scene of an attempted bombing in 2010. that was only foiled when a local vendor alerted police about a suspicious car. the attack is one of many targeting u.s. civilians. in 1993 terrorists targeted the world trade center, killing six people. two years later in 1995, the oklahoma city bombing. 168 people killed in that attack. and the horrific events of 9/11. thousands killed. still seared into memory. investigators are just starting to comb through the evidence. collecting the security camera video from the scene. searching for any clues about who could have done this and why. >> the fbi and boston police, massachusetts state police, will be going over all of the videotapes from that entire neighborhood, looking to see if there was someone suspicious, if there was someone they recognize, doing facial recognition analysis and running facial software, to see who was there.

>> reporter: i'm pierre thomas in washington. >> let's get the very latest now live from boston, a city dealing with shock. >> abc's marci gonzalez is there this morning. marci, good morning. any late details from investigators? >> reporter: good morning, john and diana. we're told that investigators are questioning a person of interest. boston police will only say that they are talking to several people. but abc news has learned that among those people being talked to is a 20-year-old man who is being treated in a hospital here for injuries. but again no confirmation on if this is the person of interest that we're hearing about. and this person, we're told, is not considered a suspect at this point. we expect to learn more when the fbi holds a press briefing later this morning. >> marci, let's talk about security. this was a day off, a holiday, patriots' day, in massachusetts. tomorrow, though, back to school, back to work. what kind of -- today, actually.

of course. what kind of added security can we expect? >> reporter: well, boston public schools are actually off for the week for spring break, so that is good news at this point. but for those going to work, they can expect a lot of road closures. we saw a lot of road closures. we came into boston a few hours ago. those taking mass transit can expect random bag searches. the national guard is here, extra officers on duty. the big message they're sending out to people in boston is to just to be extra vigilant. if anyone sees a package or anything suspicious, just a reminder to report it. >> marci, there were just so many victims taken to so many of the hospitals in boston. can you speak of how chaotic this must have been for the victims, their loved ones, even the first responders? >> reporter: oh, absolutely chaotic. we saw in some of the videos that while most people ran away, there were those who ran toward the explosion to help the injured. we are hearing stories of people

who brought children down to the ground and actually laid on top of them to try to shield them from the debris that was going everywhere. we're hearing thele youngest victim being treated in the hospital right now is just 2 years oel. john, diana. >> abc's marci gonzalez reporting live this morning from boston. thank you. our coverage of the terror at the boston marathon does not end here. later this half hour, an explosives expert offers some key insight into the investigation. stay with abc news all morning long for the latest developments. now some other major headlines. in dallas, the outcome of a wild police chase there and a standoff with a man accused of shooting and killing his prelgt girlfriend. police pursued tyrone allen in the streets until his car hit the curb and ran into a house. he barricaded himself inside for four hours. he finally surrendered. allen's girlfriend was six months pregnant. their unborn baby also did not survive. sweeping bill to reform the nation's immigration system will

be introduced today on capitol hill. it includes billions of dollars to secure the u.s. border with mexico. a billion and a half will go toward building border fences and would put millions of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship, but only if they arrived in the united states before 2011. those who have been charged with crimes would not be eligible. >> stocks on major asian markets are trading lower this morning after wall street suffered its worst day of the year. fears about an economic slowdown in china were the main reason for the dow's nearly 266-point plunge yesterday. that's nearly 2%. the tragedy in boston didn't help investors' confidence. was nasdaq was down nearly 2.5%. coming up when we return, our top story, we're go to the tragedy at the boston marathon. >> we're getting new insight on the explosives that went off at the finish line. stay tuned as we interview an expert on bombs coming up live. and that bombing put police in new york and other big cities on high alert almost instantly.

how first responders are ready for the worst and the security can you expect across the country. you're watching "world news now." is something you see a smell.

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welcome back. as investigates begin to piece together the details of the attack at boston marathon, they're asking the public to share videos and pictures of the

scene. >> even the smallest details of those pictures will help to piece together this crime. joining us to talk more about this, former detective with nypd bomb squad, kevin berry. thank you for joining us this morning. we really do appreciate it. our first question is, what might investigators learn from the device they discovered that was unexploded? we want to get through the question quickly because we have a very interesting picture to show everyone. >> well, to do it quickly, the information i have heard just recently is that the unexploded device was not a device. in fact, was it not -- had it been, there might have been some very good evidence recovered but right now -- >> kevin, i'm sorry. can you say it one more time? we're having a hard time hearing you. >> the most updated information i have is that what they thought was a recovered device was not, just a knapsack containing property. >> okay.

>> kevin, let's move on. looking at photographs of investigators, in specialized suits, combing through the scene. you have taken an extensive look at the pictures and your expertise on some of these. bring to light what you may see go on in some of these pictures. >> the investigators in bomb suits that are 100 layers of kevlar, weigh about 100 pound apiece. they are searching through remnants of the device with the idea that there still may be explosives in the area. that's why they're fully encapsulated. if you noticee, you'll see an object blue in the center. that blue object is sitting in the seat of the explosion. it wasn't there at the time of the explosion. may have been pulled into that hole by a negative blast wave after the initial wave went outward. there's a negative wave that pulls objects back into the scene of the explosive. >> kevin, what is it -- we also see a very dark mark that seems to be on the sidewalk.

why is that significant and why would investigators be looking at that mark on the sidewalk? >> that's a thermal burn mark caused by the thermal ball that you saw in the explosive video, followed by the smoke cloud going upward with white smoke. but on the ground you'll also see in front of the two windows about 20 feet across and 2 feet from the building line outward toward the curb, a white substance. >> yeah, we see it. talk about it. what are we looking at, in your opinion? >> my opinion is that may be unexploded tertiary explosive, nitrate similar to that used in the '93 bombing of the world trade center or amonium nitrate, the explosive needed a booster to step up the speed of the work effect of the explosive to make it function. from what i can see, it appears

this bomb was bigger than actually we thought at first, but it failed to function as designed. it didn't have enough energy to completely cause a work effect and total destruction of the explosive product. so, it didn't function fully. >> thank goodness if that is, in fact, the case. mr. berry, we want to thank you for your expertise. we thank you for joining us this morning. >> you're welcome. good night. >> good night. all right, coming up, we'll go back to boston and talk about explosions and how they've impacted the security there. >> coast to coast, how big cities are putting safety first. you're watching "world news now." ♪ >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. your character i've followed

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increased sweeps of stations and train tracks. >> in new york city where the fear and reality of terrorism is all too real, city leaders took no chances. >> that's right. major landmarks in the city were closely guarded and officers were a visible presence in city streets and subways. more from wabc's caroleena lead. >> reporter: minutes after the blasts in boston word spread quickly here in lower manhattan with many clinging to social media for updates including wesley webb whose family lives near boston city center. >> just like not being there, not knowing exactly what is happening, like, step by step. it's like, hold on, okay, let me take a breather, make sure everybody is okay. >> reporter: nypd stepped up security focusing resources on hotels and prominent locations. mayor michael bloomberg says critical response vehicles are monitoring the city. and officials are watching live feeds from the nypd's high-tech camera network in congested areas. >> here in new york city, we immediately took steps to

prepare for the possibility of a related attack. there is nothing we know that it going to happen but we have to be prepared. >> reporter: outside the event stood heavily armed officers carrying automatic weapons. in lower manhattan, police peeked in cars. on the west side highway, new yorkers were yet again confronted with even more evidence of this heightened police presence. >> very nervous. very nervous. i was a part of september 11th. yeah, stuck underground at exchange place. that was kind of an eerie feeling. >> reporter: mayor michael bloomberg says there are 1,000 people assigned to counterterrorism and all of them have been deployed. and it will stay that way until we learn more about the boston explosions. reporting in times square, carolina leed, abc news, new york. >> that woman put it best, an eerie feeling. >> that's right. new york was one of several places that were heavily secured

and patrolled by almost everybody. and we're talking about london also. they have a marathon coming up. >> marathon coming up, yes. >> april 21st. washington, d.c., transit police were out in force. and they created a perimeter around the white house, just to make sure. there were no -- nobody said anything was going to happen. they just wanted to make sure. >> cities around the nation kind of tense this morning. coming up personal insight into the tragedy. >> unforgettable images from the past day in boston. you are watching a special edition of "world news now." around the white house, just to make sure. there were no, nobody said anything was going to happen. just wanted to make sure. >> cities around the nation kind of tense this morning. coming up personal insight into the tragedy. >> unforgettable images from the past day in boston. you are watching a special edition of "world news now." [ female announcer ] crest plus scope celebrates the daring ones.

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ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as $15 at lunesta.com there's a land of restful sleep, we can help you go there, on the wings of lunesta. such an emotional day for the people of boston and such an emotional day for the people of boston and the entire nation and all of us. your impressions, diana? >> i worked in boston at cbs station, wbz for a while. and, you know, the city comes alive when the marathon is

happening. this really is a special time for the city. to see this happen to such a wonderful group of people. because working there, they embraced you almost immediately. and this is such a tragic event. but i will say this, boston is the type of town, they don't like to be messed with. yes, they are tough people, resilient and i know they will come back stronger. of all the places for this to happen, boston is known for its world class hospitals. so you know they were prepared for something like this. they're getting the best treatment that they could get. >> my experience watching this obviously, the obvious feelings of just shock and horror and sadness all that. but social media really struck me. i just got on twitter recently. we talked about that on the show. i went right to it and i got lots and lots of updates. it's really amazing how that

works during a crisis like that. also, on my facebook page. most of my friends tend to be from new york because of where i live. and seeing them say, love to boston. boston we love you. boston in our prayers, made me realize how the rest of the country must have felt about new york on september 1 >> on a day like today we absolutely. well, there were so many cameras at the marathon to capture that moment of fry utri at the finish line. >> no surprise the pictures of the attack were truly startling fromts ts after, it was caught on camera. stunning images that day. ♪ ♪

terror at the boston marathon. deadly bombing turned the finish line into a war zone. >> i looked over and after i heard one bomb go off, i turned around and saw a second one shoot up in the air. it sounded just like a bomb. >> this morning we're learning about the horror, heartbreak and heroism in what will likely

become the nation's most tragic da days. >> i saw quite a few casualties coming back. i see one guy with his legs gone at the knees, ankles missing, shrapneled to side of the head and other things. just not good. >> as the search for a killer begins, america and the world offer prayers. >> i'm supremely confident bostonians will pull together, take care of each other as one proud city. as they do, the american people will be with them every single step of the day. >> it is tuesday, april 16th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now" with john muller and diana perez. and we begin this half hour with new details about the deadly bombing. we've learned that one of the three victims of the explosion was an 8-year-old boy. >> and a rhode island state trooper who reached the finish line said he saw at least 30 victims who were missing a limb. abc's jim avila reports on how this tragedy unfolded.

>> reporter: two hours after the winners crossed, 4:09 into the race, the amateur runners still filling boston's boylston street, two rapid-fire explosions at the finish line. >> something just blew up! [ explosion ] >> run! go! >> reporter: turning the cherished boston marathon into what one hospital official called a war zone. >> i crossed the 26-mile marker and i saw the first explosion happen. there was some commotion. i saw a fire and smoke. and i didn't know what it was. and then from about me to where that gentleman is standing over there, i literally saw the garbage barrel explode. i saw the flash, the fire, the smoke, and i just ran as fast as i could. >> reporter: cameras were rolling from many angles as the force of the blast actually knocks over at least within of the marathoners.

look again. most of the injuries, though, suffered by spectators who came to celebrate the finish. >> a bomb went off. and it knocked me to the ground. and then, you know, everybody started running, panicking. and then another bomb went off. then i fell to the ground again. people were running. you were getting trampled. >> it was very loud. the ground shook. you could just feel it going down through you. just a scary scene. >> reporter: right next to the finish line, bleachers filled with spectators, stunned, confused by the first blast. and then watch in horror as 50 to 100 yards away, a second explosion. eyewitnesses say the injured were piled on the sidewalk. severed limbs littering the street. onlookers comforting each other as the violence and chaos engulfed them. >> i saw quite a few casualties coming back. saw one guy with his legs gone at the knees. some ankles and feet missing. shrapnel wound on people on the

sides of the head. >> reporter: the two bombs described by federal authorities as small explosive devices. there was no warning, no advance specific threats. paramedics, national guard and boston police were already on the scene for the marathon security and medical need. they sped into action. the death toll now at three, including an 8-year-old boy. then carried at least 115 injured into the race medical tents, and on to hospitals where many suffered amputation. at a press conference, police said the perimeter is secured by the guard. and boston should report to work carefully. >> it will not be business as usual. it will be a heightened law enforcement presence, consistent with the severity and seriousness of the ongoing investigation. >> reporter: jim avila, abc news, washington. >> the images from today are haunting. >> they're going to stick with people for a long time. >> sure are. >> the latest from boston as

police and the fbi try to find out who's responsible. >> our coverage continues live in boston with abc's marci gonzalez. marci, are investigators narrowing their search for suspects? >> reporter: good morning, john and diana. police are being pretty tight-lipped about the process and any progress that they're making in trying to find a suspect. congressman peter king says investigators are questioning one person of interest. but police will only say that they are talking to several people. they're not classifying them as persons of interest. but abc news has learned that among the people being talked to this morning, is a 20-year-old man who is being treated in one of the hospitals here in boston. john, diana. >> marci, can you talk a little bit about the explosions. we heard so many things as this evolved. explosions, and two explosions are investigators giving any -- and then there were explosions

that were controlled. it is really changing as it goes. what are investigators telling you now? >> reporter: well, we're hearing some new information about the actual two bombs that went off near the finish line. we're being told they were likely small, very crudely made bombs that went off. they were likely in either bags or backpacks. and we're told that investigators belief they were either put there during the race or just before it started. investigators were told also, believe that those bombs were detonated remotely, possibly, by a cell phone. >> marci, the tragedy here is insurmountable. when you talk abn 8-year-old boy am of victims. thndreicti rushed to local hospitals. who were rushed to local hospitals. what are you hearing about those who su >> reporter: yeah, we're hearing more than 140 people were injured and many of those injuries, as you can imagine, absolutely catastrophic. we're told dozens of people lost limbs. so many people are suffering from really severe slarp nell wound. we're also hearing that young of the youngest people injured in this was just 2 years old and is

being treated in the hospital here in boston this morning. >> marci gonzalez reporting live from boston this morning. thank you. well so many of those hurt in the bomb blast have suffered what are categorized as traumatic injuries. the majority of injuries caused by shrapnel hitting victims' lower bodies. last night we spoke to a doctor here in new york city with years of trauma experience. >> one of the thing that all hospitals of that size in particular have in place is a disaster plan. we practice these a few times of year. we do it here in new york at least ever six months. though plans have in place mock exercises. we have put our resources into play. we even have fake patients come into the hospital. so having run those exercises repeated, gives some preparation. this is completely unexpected. no matter how good your plan is, you will be overwhelmed. you're going to be dealing with a huge volume of patients with a wide spectrum of injuries not an easy thing to handle. i have to admit what i have seen so far, they're doing an

amazing job. from a blast like this, it can cause severe burns. that's an injury that takes a long time to heal from, requires multiple prayings and interventions. but fractures and traumatic amputations are the most traumatic thing. what kills people is the closed-head injuries. the blast effect itself will shake the brain so much it can cause instantaneous or delayed death. >> one quote about the injuries suffered in the bombings from chief of emergency services at massachusetts general hospital. he said the amount of carnage is what is expected from a war zone. the boston marathon is one of the world's if not the world's most prestigious marathon. more than 23,000 started the race. at the time of explosions, 17,000 crossed the finish line. one was 33-year-old rebecca roche from there in boston. >> i had a bad feeling when i saw the smoke. and after hearing the noise, hearing the second one.

it's one of the world's marathons. i was at the finish line. i suspected it was terrorism. what should have been joy turned into panic. and just heart-wrenching fear of the worst. ed >> roche ran the race with the words mom and dad on her legs. her mother and friend were badly injured. she told terry moran she feels guilty because if they not where running, they wouldn't have been hurt. >> president obama is vowing those responsible for the bombing will feel the full weight of justice. and the commander-in-chief promised all federal resources at hand. >> i have also spoken with governor patrick and mayor menino and made it clear they have every single federal resource necessary to care for the victims and counsel the families. and above all, i made clear to them, that all americans stand with the people of boston. >> the white house says the attack is being treated as an act of terrorism. >> in washington, lawmakers observed a moment of silence.

moments after getting word about the boston explosions at the capitol, flags had been lowered to half-staff to honor victims of the bombing. house speaker boehner, said while this is a terrible day the american spirit will help us carry on. our coverage of the terror at the boston marathon does not end here. later this half hour, we'll show i the banner headlines from the newspapers worldwide covering this dwoming story. stay with us on abc news and abcnews.com all day long. >> to other major headlines we are following this morning the a plan to reform the nation's immigration system will be introduced today on capitol hill. it includes $1.5 billion for new border fences and billions more for security improvements along the u.s./mexico border. it would also put millions of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship but only if they arrive in the u.s. in before 201. were in place for margaret

thatcher's funeral tomorrow in london. now those are being stepped up even more. hundreds of british troops have taken part in a full-scale rehearsal for the elaborate service which features a procession through the streets of london. queen elizabeth and world leaders set to attend. 15 months after the grounding of the "costa concordia" cruise ship, an italian court has opened questions. prosecutors want captain fran she isco schettino to stand trial for manslaughter. he is accused of causing the wreck and abandoning the ship before all passengers got off safety. he said four senior crew members should be charged with delaying the evacuation. let's take a quick look at your tuesday forecast now. morning showers from seattle to portland. snow in the cascades. rockies and dakotas. severe storms, with hail and gust request winds from texas to st. lose, nashville and cincinnati. afternoon showers from pittsburgh to northern new england. >> mid-60s in the northeast. 80s from dallas to miami.

40s in the middle of the country. 70 in sacramento. coming up, returning to our top story -- the tragedy in boston. see how the bombing scene was quickly transformed last night. >> later on we will explore a so-called april curse. why so many tragedies happen this time of month, year after year. you are watching a special edition of "world news now." ower has a subtle, yet invigorating scent, and can take 10 years to bloom. so at air wick, we waited. crafted by our expert perfumers for your home. air wick cactus flower and warm breeze is part of our limited edition national park collection. air wick. the craft of fragrance. given way to sleeping. tossing and turning have where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep, and lunesta eszopiclone can help you get there,

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happy birthday. ♪ returning to our top story, terror at the boston marathon. our affiliate in boston, wcvb has been working tirelessly

since the explosions went off many hours ago. >> that's right. the on-the-scene triage unit has now been turned into an investigation hub, as we see from wcvb's 11 p.m. newscast last night. >> earlier today we had been told there had been a lot of calls to police with people concerned about suspicious packages. those are being checked out. behind us you can see the area which is now a crime scene and probably the center of the investigation, where all of the different law enforcement agencies are gathering. that's where the medical tent was and is now turned into the headquarters, as it were, of the investigation. right next to me you can also see that as the marathoners have left, the international media and national media moved in. these folks from fuji television in japan. there's also folks here from german television.

i have also spoken to folks from latin american television. a reporter from colombia. obviously this has become a national/international event. and i also did get a chance earlier this evening to talk to folks who had the vantage point of being right there, right in front of the blast scene, right by the finish line. let's hear what they have to say. >> suddenly this big explosion took place in front of me. and then i saw this cloud, big cloud, with smoke. and my first instinct was to run across the street and start helping out the people. >> your sleeve there is that blood on your sleeve? >> my pants. my clothes. >> show me the flag. >> that was the flag i was holding the whole time. this is how the flag ended up, carrying the blood of all of these victims. >> you turn around and just see smoke rising, smoke and debris everywhere. across the finish line.

screams. people running. and it doesn't make sense to me. >> my niece thought it was a cannon. and a couple seconds later we saw it on the next block and we were just paralyzed. didn't know go left, right. >> reporter: what did you do? >> the cop kept telling us you got to got out. clear out. >> great job. wcvb in boston. what a day they've had. what a day this morning. as it starts all over again. great work. >> that was just a portion of their 11 p.m. newscast so you weren't able to see all of their information but there is more information everybody needs to know in boston, if you're headed to boston. the crime scene, perimeter is in the back bay, a large expansive area. police like i said now a crime scene. there are buildings inaccessible. mass transit inaccessible and lots of streets that are not accessible. everybody that lives there or works there has been transferred to shelters or told to go to a different place to report to work if they have to report to work tomorrow. and that's according to the mayor's office. >> big press conference scheduled for 9:30 in the morning. that's when the whole nation will get really the latest on this. but a lot of things happening overnight. there's been a lot of tweeting. five miles from boston. an apartment that local police and feds have been checking out.

no confirmation it is connected. you certainly have to think something's up there. at this 9:30 press conference, we'll hopefully get the very latest and hopefully get encouraging information about who did this and why they may have done this. >> something you'll see, lots of police presence. that just comes with the territory when this kind of thing happens. >> no doubt. still to come -- coincidence or something more? >> why investigators may be looking closely at date of the attack, at the boston marathon. stay with us. >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stat

as investigators try to figure out who may have set off the bombs in the boston marathon. one of the things they'll be

looking at is the timing of the attack. >> abc consultant brian garrett is a veteran of the fbi. here's what he told our diane sawyer about why the date of this bombing may be significant. >> you are in that window of april 15th to april 20th when we have had a number of domestic extremist events. oklahoma city, columbine, virginia tech. some people say they are driven because of a certain extent because hitler's birthday is on april 20 9. i'm not suggesting that is connected to this, merely throwing it out that that would not surprise me if this was some local extremist group trying to make a statement because of this particular day. i'm not suggesting the window needs to be narrow but i would look intensely at what information they had about different extremist groups. there is a lot of public source information about demonstrations on taxes, on a number of other issues that are hot-button issues for extremist groups who

don't like either what the government's doing or what the government represents. >> very interesting. >> so there are -- >> tax day, patriots' day and a history of some domestic terrorism on this -- >> invasion on cuba happened on the 17th of april in 1961, waco, by the time all the branch davidian, if you're a conspiracy theorist, you have to check it out. >> something everybody has to check out. no doubt about it. part b medical expenses. of your the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and save you up to thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs. call today to request a free decision guide

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all right. the world wakes up today, the terror at the boston marathon. big front line headlines on newspapers worldwide. >> we're going to take a look at some of them now. these are advance copies of what you will see tomorrow morning depending on where you live. here is the first one we want to show you, this is "the boston herald."

it says, as you can see, terror at the finish line. this is one of the harrowing pictures, the flags, the ominous flags, the only thing you can see, everything behind it is smoke. and that's where one of the explosions happened. that's where you have been seeing a lot of the videos. all the people that were there were injured. is what we are hearing now. >> wow. take a look at "the new york times" right here. a tough one to look at. >> tough one to look at. dramatic picture of heroes. looks like a joe blow guy, ran up and helped people. after the bomb went off. people ran toward people injured. instead of running away. true heroes. one of those kind of photos. and blast at boston marathon kills 3, injuries 100. >> something else very interesting about this. how fluid this information is. the same picture. "the boston globe." another one of the very similar image as "the new york times" that you just saw. but this will say, bomb at the finish line killed 3, injured

130. same information. that's how you know the information is still coming in. even the newspapers printing the latest edition, their information is fluid as well. >> "the guardian" a worldwide headline. another dramatic picture. that's the run here fell down, the 70-something runner that got blasted off his feet. >> totally fine, though. >> yep. twin blast hits city marathon. another international one -- "the daily telegraph," bomb carnage at the marathon. a wider shot. a little more, don't know if you can to the word tasteful. little less bloody. >> isn't it interesting. there were so many cameras, such an incredible event. so many cameras, still cameras and television cameras and cameras that were recording live video, and they were able to capture the moment where you can still see the fire. >> the flash. >> that is the moment where that actually happened. some of the other pictures are a little later. >> going to the infamous -- >> the new york post.

because they're known for some of their headlines. they're known for going other places a lot of newspapers prefer to not go. what they did, they kept it simple. terror at the top. the picture gruesome. lots of blood around the young lady. >> the stunned look. on her face. it says a lot. >> is does tell the story. >> looks shell shocked. truly. >> some of the headlines you will be seeing as you wake up. >> announcer: more americans choose abc news to see the whole picture.

terror at the boston marathon. twin explosions shatter celebration turning a day of joy into a deadly nightmare. >> i literally saw the garbage barrel explode. i saw the flash, the fire, the smoke. i ran as fast as i could. >> the finish line of the iconic event a scene of horror. >> i looked over and saw just a

pile of bodies. the worst thing i have ever seen in my life. >> this morning, fierce resolve to solve the crime and bring a killer to justice. >> make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this. we will find out who did this. >> it is tuesday, april 16th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now" with john muller and diana perez. dozens of investigators will be poring over the crime scene, trying to figure out who placed those bombs. >> they are thought to be small, crudely made device, hidden in backpacks, planted during the race or immediately prior to and detonated remotely, possibly with a cell phone. our coverage begins live in boston with abc's marci gonzalez. good morning, marci. let's get started on this one, marci. tell us about the investigation as it unfolds this morning. what are some of the leads the investigators are following?

>> reporter: good morning, john and diana. as you said investigators believe it was two small homemade bombs that killed three people, including an 8-year-old boy, and injured more than 140 others. security is heightened here in boston as investigators have still not named a suspect. the first explosion went off near the finish line of the boston marathon four hours into the race. >> something just blew up. >> reporter: seconds later, another explosion nearby. >> i literally saw the garbage barrel explode. i saw the flash, the fire, the smoke. i just ran fast as i could. >> reporter: complete chaos followed. smoke filled the air, debris and blood covered the streets with injured people everywhere. those who could, ran for cover. >> this cowardly act will not be taken in stride. we will turn every rock over to find the people who are responsible for this. >> reporter: police and emergency crews scrambled to attend to the wounded, many

transported in wheelchairs and on stretchers. >> i saw one guy with his legs gone at the knees, ankles and feet missing. shrapnel wounds on people to the side of the head. >> reporter: joining forces to find out who is responsible for this carnage. >> it is a criminal investigation that is -- has the potential -- is a potential terrorist investigation. >> reporter: the boston marathon is one of the premiere races in the country. security is now being ramped up even more throughout the city. and the governor is asking the public to be on alert. >> we are also asking that everyone be on a state of heightened vigilance. that is really required of everyone. >> reporter: and we're told investigators are questioning a person of interest, but that person is not considered a suspect at this point. john and diana, back to you. >> marci, what can people expect tomorrow as they return -- today as they return to work, after yesterday's state holiday in massachusetts?

can you talk to us a little bit about the security? >> reporter: well, there will absolutely be heightened security. a lot of the roads will remain closed as the investigation continues. people who use mass transit can expect random bag searches. and, again, that message, they're just really urging people to be vigilant and report anything suspicious they see. >> marci, so many victims, some estimates 140 being treated with injuries. what stands out in your mind about the bloodshed when you hear these numbers? >> reporter: oh, yeah, more than 140 people injured. it's absolutely devastating. and you think these are runners who left the race, so many of them without one or both of their legs. you think about the children who came many of them to cheer on their parents. and were severely injured. what really hit me about this, is that the last mile of the race was dedicated to the victims of the newtown tragedy.

and now here we are yet another devastating display of violence here in our country that we are mourning this morning. >> thank you, marci gonzalez, reporting live for us in boston. all right. the president and top lawmakers closely watching the developments from boston as this investigation unfolds. abc's jonathan karl reports from the white house. >> reporter: top congressional leaders who have been briefed on the investigation say that it bears all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack. senator dianne feinstein, the chairwoman of the senate intelligence committee, told abc news' jeff zeleny, "it could be foreign, it could be homegrown, but it is terrorism." the president in his remarks to the country did not to that the country did not use that word. >> we still do not know who did this or why. and people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all the facts. but make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this. and we will find out who did

this. we'll find out why they did this. any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice. >> reporter: i asked senator administration officials about that. what i was told was, quote, any event with multiple explosive devices as this appears to be is clearly an act of terror and should be approached as an act of terror. but the administration makes it clear that this is still an ongoing investigation. very little is known. there's no information about whether or not this is conducted by an organized terrorist group. whether a domestic terrorist group or international group. that's why they've been using -- very cautious in the language they've been using and certainly the president. jonathan karl, abc news, the white house. >> half a million spectators lined the boston marathon route yesterday. thousands of them were crowded into the race's final stretch where the bomb blast went off. one of the spectators was abc news producer kendall heath. >> my brother-in-law and i were

watching at the corner of boylston street where the runners take the final left towards the finish line. as we were watching, all of a sudden you hear and feel a large explosion. and see white smoke. this kind of plume of smoke about 20 to 30 feet high go up in the air. about five to ten seconds later followed by another explosion. i saw another fire ball and smoke rise into the air. chaos ensued and folks realized something was wrong. began to smell like sulphur. runners were diverted. confused not knowing to continue. police came onto the scene and got to the finish line as soon as they could. police officers directed everyone off the street, wanted to clear boylston street. stopped the runners. tried to get pedestrians off the street. a lot of folks ran toward the explosion, trying to help, as you heard from many eyewitness reports of people trying to help those injured. and police who are, you know,

lining the routes of boston, the streets for the marathon anyway, completely, you know, ran right in just moments later trying to help those injured. >> that was abc news producer kendall health. if you are traveling today, you may notice stepped up security at the nation's airports. here in new york so-called critical response teams along with 1,000 counterterrorism officers have been sent to high profile locations. police with bomb-sniffing dogs have been searching the airports. in los angeles, police could put more patrols to work in the transit system after the boston bombings. at l.a.x. the scene of the failed bomb attempt, security was beefed up. spectators saw more security last night at the dodgers game. >> relatively easy to increase security at airports and other major destinations, keeping big events secure. that presents major challenge to law enforcement. abc's david kerley has more on this. >> reporter: the bloody boston explosion, shattered the marathon and reopened wounds in this country. this attack far from the first

targeting civilians. international terrorists tried to bring down the world trade center in '93. the building withstood the blast, killing six. and domestic terrorists have proved deadly as well. the oklahoma city bombing in '95 killing 168. so similar to the boston blast, the atlanta olympics bombing in '96. spectators gathered in a park when the bomb went off. it is the soft target terrorists are looking for. >> unfortunately, these kind of settings, whether it's a marathon, football, baseball, social event, concert, are attractive targets. we just can't get around it. >> reporter: tom ridge was the country's first secretary of homeland security. >> you have to manage the risk. unless you have specific information about a particular actor, you can't guarantee safety anywhere. >> reporter: so even though police were on duty in force in boston with plenty of national guard soldiers, someone was able to place two bombs, giving some a question about being around large crowds. what can we do if we are at a large event s there anything i can do to keep myself safe? >> if you see something, the

slogan is, say something. about being aware of your environment. if you looks unusual, tell someone about it. >> reporter: best advice, don't let them affect your life. go back and live your life. >> live your life. when you compromise how you live that gives them a victory. as painful as it is to day. you can't let them succeed by us changing the norm and how we live. can't let them win. no victories. >> reporter: david kerley, abc news, washington. >> i think that last point is so important. you can't let them win. you can't say i'm not going to go to that ball game because, what if? that's exactly what they want. >> that's what they want. they want to you watch the coverage incessantly and be too scared to do anything. you have to go out, have you to live your lives. important clues, for as chaotic as that looks, there are important clues of what was left behind at these bombings that police are also looking at.

the injured. they want to know if anybody has hand injuries. someone that could be potentially using bomb-making material and they have residue on their hands. that's another thing they're looking at. they're looking at the devices, the shrapnel and things that could have come from the device itself. >> that's right. and pierre thomas is reporting what they want to see is how was it detonated, remotely detonated, with a cell phone, right there, remote control. what did they use? that clue will probably lead them or at least hoping it will lead them to the person or group that did this. >> yes. coming up the unforgettable accounts from eyewitnesses. >> the fear in their voices and look in their eyes, after seeing something so unthinkable at such a joyous event. >> later the 78-year-old marathon runner knocked down by the bomb's impact. the unforgettable image and his remarkable story. you're watching a special edition of "world news now."

♪ welcome back. our coverage of the terror at the boston marathon continues. >> the toll of yesterday's tragedy in deaths and injuries is no doubt horrific. but the emotional effects of those who were there and saw it will linger for a long time. here's what the people who were there, who lived through this

tragic event experienced. >> it sounded just like a bomb. what i thought a bomb would sound like. absolutely horrified. it was very loud. the ground shook. you could just feel it going down through you. >> the explosion went off right by the finish line, the boom, you felt it. it hurt your ears. >> something just blew up! >> run! go! >> i saw a trash can explode. people started throwing down the barricade and running over each other. i ran the other direction as fast as i could. >> i live in the city. this is like the scariest thing i ever experienced. people in the restaurant i work were trying to get away from the scene, far away. people were walking across the bridge like an exodus to cambridge. >> i saw runners in front of me fall, stunned from the injuries. then i looked over and saw just a pile of bodies. the worst thing i think i have ever seen in my life.

mangled limbs. people not breathing. i just interviewed a nurse here on the scene who said she treated dozens of people, including children. coronary pull money dispulmonary distress, you name it. >> they responded within 15 seconds. you saw everybody coming down here. the medical team responded instantly. >> i'm a college student in boston, and you think patriots day spons mayor marathon monday and you don't think anything like this is going to ever happen in a day like this in boston. >> you know, you hear and see these pictures. it gets you so disheartened about humanity on some level, but then you see those people running and you see how heroic they are and you realize, people are good. >> yeah, running toward the explosion. you know, we're getting a lot of reaction out of this, obviously, but something we're also getting is international reaction. it's coming in. we have just gotten from pakistan. pakistan government issued a

statement today that said, they condemn this han heinous act of terrorism in the strongest possible terms and hope the perpetrators of this barbaric act will be brought to justice. they're not the only one. the prime minister, david cameron says the scenes from boston are shocking and horrific. my thoughts are with all of those who have been affected. when we return, we'll take a look at the other top headlines this tuesday. including the fight for immigration reform and the deal expected today on capitol hill. you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc statio

turning away from our top story and moving on to other headlines this morning. beginning with immigration reform. a new bill introduced by bipartisan group of senators today including billions of dollars to secure the u.s. border with mexico. a billion and a half dollars will go toward building new border fences. supporters of rewriting the

nation's immigration laws gathered at capitol hill yesterday to put pressure on lawmakers. >> make sure that they hear from you. that they know without a doubt in their mind that keeping their jobs depends on them supporting comprehensive immigration reform. >> what we're seeing right now is an incredible amount of support, both from the left and from the right. >> the new proposal also puts millions of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship. but only if they arrived in the u.s. before the end of 2011. those who have been charged with crimes, would not be eligible. president obama will host south korea's newly elected first female president at the white house next month. they will observe the 60th anniversary of the alliance between the u.s. and south korea. also high on their agenda, efforts to counter the nuclear threat posed by north korea. in venezuela, demand for a recount in the presidential election. ballots were ignored leading to an anti-government protest. the election results were certified. the winner by a razor thin

margin less than one percentage point hand-picked by president late hugo chavez to carry on the separatist union. following the boston bombings, scotland yard is beefing up the already extraordinary security measures they already put in place for margaret thatcher's funeral tomorrow. hundreds of military troops will be visible along the procession route through the streets of london. and with so many dignitaries that are expected to attend shortstops, including queen elizabeth and former prime minister, scotland yard is fine tuning its behind the scenes security operation as well. all right. when wall street opens this morning, traders will be trying to shake off the worst losses in the year. concerns about economic slowdown in china brought on plenty of selling yesterday. the dow lost 266 points, nearly 2%. the other major averages were down significantly. it was the biggest drop for stocks since early november. >> right now we'll take a look at your tuesday weather. stormy from texas to ohio with

hail and wind as high as 70 miles per hour. afternoon showers from vermont to pittsburgh. thunderstorms in southern florida. rain in the pacific northwest, mountain snow in the northwest as well. and later into the dakotas. >> all right. 30s from billings to fargo. mid-50s in omaha. mid-60s in the northeast and 80s in the south. still ahead, our conch of the boston marathon attack continues. >> when we return, we'll hear from a survivor of the bombings. those images of horror in ll hear from a survivor of the bombings. bombings, a 78-year-old man knocked down by the blast. like it has for so many people before. do not take lunesta if you are allergic to anything in it. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. lunesta should not be taken together with alcohol. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion.

in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as $15 at lunesta.com there's a land of restful sleep, we can help you go there, on the wings of lunesta.

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we hear his story from linsey davis. >> reporter: it's an image that stays with you. the moment of the explosion, bill igfrid is knocked to the ground, surrounded by smoke, just 15 feet shy of crossing the finish line of what would be his third boston marathon finish. >> i could see the finishing ramp. when i got within about 15 feet. just a horrendous explosion occurred. i didn't know where at the time. just -- >> reporter: cue see it or just hear it? >> i could hear it. >> reporter: he approached the finish line 3:50 after he started the race, right in the middle of the pack. he was feeling great until he unexpectedly collapsed. >> my whole body was crumbling like. and i was going down. and, boy, this is going to be the end. maybe this is going to be my last trip. i didn't have any idea what was going on. >> reporter: the 78-year-old then crossed the finish line aided by volunteers and walked six blocks back to his hotel,

not sure what had happened. >> i figured that was some kind of a bomb that went off. but really didn't know what to think. >> reporter: what way was the finish line? the finish line was this way? >> yeah. the bomb was behind me. yeah, i didn't think of any possibility of another bomb going off up by the finish line. and then after i was up and walking over, then the other bomb went off. it was loud. i mean, really loud. my whole eardrums, when i got back here, i couldn't hardly hear anything. it was tremendous. >> reporter: it's a story of tragedy and triumph for bill, who far more than just finishing a race s just relieved to be here to talk about it. linsey davis in boston. >> god bless him and the people of boston. >> you got that right. we leave you this half hour, an image of hope. >> the building of m.i.t. lit to

resemble the american flag, the symbol of resilience of the american people. stay tuned for more coverage from abc.

terror at the boston terror at the boston marathon. twin explosions shatter a celebration, turning a day of joy into a deadly nightmare. >> leave the area immediately. >> i literally saw the garbage barrel explode. i saw the flash, the fire, the smoke. i ran as fast as i could. >> the finish line of the iconic event a scene of horror. >> i looked over and saw just a

pile of bodies, the worst thing i think i've ever seen in my life. >> this morning, fierce resolve solve the crime and bring a killer to justice. >> make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this and we we will find out who did this. >> it is tuesday, april 16th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now" with john muller and diana perez. and good morning. it was a day that was supposed to be a celebration with one of the nation's longest running sporting events at its core. >> the boston marathon always getting plenty of attention, unfortunately, this year it's for all the wrong reasons. [ explosion ] >> that was the sound that runners, fans and those providing support near the marathon's finish line heard yesterday when the explosions went off. one witness called the aftermath

more like baghdad than boston. >> at this hour, 100, perhaps 150 people reported injured. many of the injuries grave. at least three people have died. the national guard is securing the crime scene. while the fbi leads the investigation and the search for suspects. >> a massive effort under way this morning to find out who was responsible for the deadly attack. >> fragments in the exploded bombs will be key to determining how these crude device were put together. abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas following the investigation. >> reporter: it is dramatic videos like this and this, captured at the scene of the horrific blast that investigators will be combing through for clues of what happened. two bomb bombs exploding within seconds of each other and only 100 yards apart. the bombs were small, portable devices that could have been carried in a backpack, he's lis concealed among the thousands of spectators. that's what makes this investigation so difficult. authorities say there are no

suspects, the bombs caused terrible injuries and hospitals reported seeing shrapnel wounds. >> there's a lot of small metal debris. some people have -- have asked already about whether these were bbs or parts of bombs. i just don't think we're able to say whether these were small bits of metal placed there intentionally or part of the environment. >> reporter: shrapnel is just one of the clues investigators will be looking at. >> there are fragments everywhere, there are fragments everywhere, there are fragments within the victims. fragments in the sidewalk. what they're going to be able to do is probably reconstruct the timer device, what was used, they're going to look at the components of the bomb, able to tell them is this just somebody that put this together over the internet or is this a bomb maker? >> reporter: hundreds of state and federal investigators have descended on boston to try to find out who could have built the bombs and set them off. >> there are federal, state and local law enforcement all on scene and coordinating very close ly. the fbi has taken charge of the investigation. >> reporter: this type of attack

has long been law enforcement's worst fear, a soft target where suspects can easily blend in and inflict mass casualties. the boston marathon is a heavily policed event. more than 500 national guard troops were on scene as well as members of the boston police and fire departments. but that did not prevent this from happening. >> anyone can walk up to the sidelines on the stretch of boylston street, anybody can get off the subway or bicycle in or walk down, and walk right up to the lines where this bomb took place. it would be impossible to screen everybody along the 26-mile route of a marathon. >> reporter: cities around the nation now on high alert. bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling the streets of chicago. airports in washington and new york, stepping up their security. in new york, the stepped-up police presence could be seen everywhere.

police cars lined the streets in times square, which itself was the scene of an attempted bombing in 2010. that was only foiled when a local vendor alerted police about a suspicious car. the attack is one of many targeting u.s. civilians. in 1993 terrorists targeted the world trade center, killing six people. two years later in 1995, the oklahoma city bombing. 168 people killed in that attack. and the horrific events of 9/11. thousands killed. still seared into memory. investigators are just starting to comb through the evidence. collecting the security camera video from the scene. searching for any clues about who could have done this and why. >> the fbi and boston police, massachusetts state police, will be going over all of the videotapes from that entire neighborhood, looking to see if there was someone suspicious, if there was someone they recognize, doing facial recognition analysis and running facial software, to see who was there.

>> reporter: i'm pierre thomas in washington. >> let's get the very latest now live from boston, a city dealing with shock. >> abc's marci gonzalez is there this morning. marci, good morning. any late details from investigators? >> reporter: good morning, john and diana. we're told that investigators are questioning a person of interest. boston police will only say that they are talking to several people. but abc news has learned that among those people being talked to is a 20-year-old man who is being treated in a hospital here for injuries. but again no confirmation on if this is the person of interest that we're hearing about. and this person, we're told, is not considered a suspect at this point. we expect to learn more when the fbi holds a press briefing later this morning. >> marci, let's talk about security. this was a day off, a holiday, patriots' day, in massachusetts. tomorrow, though, back to school, back to work. what kind of -- today, actually.

of course. what kind of added security can we expect? >> reporter: well, boston public schools are actually off for the week for spring break, so that is good news at this point. but for those going to work, they can expect a lot of road closures. we saw a lot of road closures. we came into boston a few hours ago. those taking mass transit can expect random bag searches. the national guard is here, extra officers on duty. the big message they're sending out to people in boston is to just to be extra vigilant. if anyone sees a package or anything suspicious, just a reminder to report it. >> marci, there were just so many victims taken to so many of the hospitals in boston. can you speak of how chaotic this must have been for the victims, their loved ones, even the first responders? >> reporter: oh, absolutely chaotic. we saw in some of the videos that while most people ran away, there were those who ran toward the explosion to help the injured. we are hearing stories of people

who brought children down to the ground and actually laid on top of them to try to shield them from the debris that was going everywhere. we're hearing thele youngest victim being treated in the hospital right now is just 2 years oel. john, diana. >> abc's marci gonzalez reporting live this morning from boston. thank you. our coverage of the terror at the boston marathon does not end here. later this half hour, an explosives expert offers some key insight into the investigation. stay with abc news all morning long for the latest developments. now some other major headlines. in dallas, the outcome of a wild police chase there and a standoff with a man accused of shooting and killing his prelgt girlfriend. police pursued tyrone allen in the streets until his car hit the curb and ran into a house. he barricaded himself inside for four hours. he finally surrendered. allen's girlfriend was six months pregnant. their unborn baby also did not survive. sweeping bill to reform the nation's immigration system will

be introduced today on capitol hill. it includes billions of dollars to secure the u.s. border with mexico. a billion and a half will go toward building border fences and would put millions of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship, but only if they arrived in the united states before 2011. those who have been charged with crimes would not be eligible. >> stocks on major asian markets are trading lower this morning after wall street suffered its worst day of the year. fears about an economic slowdown in china were the main reason for the dow's nearly 266-point plunge yesterday. that's nearly 2%. the tragedy in boston didn't help investors' confidence. was nasdaq was down nearly 2.5%. coming up when we return, our top story, we're go to the tragedy at the boston marathon. >> we're getting new insight on the explosives that went off at the finish line. stay tuned as we interview an expert on bombs coming up live. and that bombing put police in new york and other big cities on high alert almost instantly.

how first responders are ready for the worst and the security can you expect across the country. you're watching "world news now." is something you see a smell.

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welcome back. as investigates begin to piece together the details of the attack at boston marathon, they're asking the public to share videos and pictures of the

scene. >> even the smallest details of those pictures will help to piece together this crime. joining us to talk more about this, former detective with nypd bomb squad, kevin berry. thank you for joining us this morning. we really do appreciate it. our first question is, what might investigators learn from the device they discovered that was unexploded? we want to get through the question quickly because we have a very interesting picture to show everyone. >> well, to do it quickly, the information i have heard just recently is that the unexploded device was not a device. in fact, was it not -- had it been, there might have been some very good evidence recovered but right now -- >> kevin, i'm sorry. can you say it one more time? we're having a hard time hearing you. >> the most updated information i have is that what they thought was a recovered device was not, just a knapsack containing property. >> okay.

>> kevin, let's move on. looking at photographs of investigators, in specialized suits, combing through the scene. you have taken an extensive look at the pictures and your expertise on some of these. bring to light what you may see go on in some of these pictures. >> the investigators in bomb suits that are 100 layers of kevlar, weigh about 100 pound apiece. they are searching through remnants of the device with the idea that there still may be explosives in the area. that's why they're fully encapsulated. if you noticee, you'll see an object blue in the center. that blue object is sitting in the seat of the explosion. it wasn't there at the time of the explosion. may have been pulled into that hole by a negative blast wave after the initial wave went outward. there's a negative wave that pulls objects back into the scene of the explosive. >> kevin, what is it -- we also see a very dark mark that seems to be on the sidewalk.

why is that significant and why would investigators be looking at that mark on the sidewalk? >> that's a thermal burn mark caused by the thermal ball that you saw in the explosive video, followed by the smoke cloud going upward with white smoke. but on the ground you'll also see in front of the two windows about 20 feet across and 2 feet from the building line outward toward the curb, a white substance. >> yeah, we see it. talk about it. what are we looking at, in your opinion? >> my opinion is that may be unexploded tertiary explosive, nitrate similar to that used in the '93 bombing of the world trade center or amonium nitrate, the explosive needed a booster to step up the speed of the work effect of the explosive to make it function. from what i can see, it appears

this bomb was bigger than actually we thought at first, but it failed to function as designed. it didn't have enough energy to completely cause a work effect and total destruction of the explosive product. so, it didn't function fully. >> thank goodness if that is, in fact, the case. mr. berry, we want to thank you for your expertise. we thank you for joining us this morning. >> you're welcome. good night. >> good night. all right, coming up, we'll go back to boston and talk about explosions and how they've impacted the security there. >> coast to coast, how big cities are putting safety first. you're watching "world news now." ♪ >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our

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listen, your storyline makes for incredible tv drama. thing is, your drug use is very adult content. too adult for the kids. so, i'm gonna have to block you. aw, man. yeahh... well. have a good one. you're a nice lady. immediately after the boston bombings cities throug the immediately after the boston bombings cities throughout the nation have heightened security. >> in los angeles extra transit officers are added to patrol buses and trains. the city also added extra security to last night's dodgers baseball game. >> chicago police also stepped up security at sporting events. the city added extra police patrols at the blackhawks game among many other places. on public transportation, including amtrak, officers

increased sweeps of stations and train tracks. >> in new york city where the fear and reality of terrorism is all too real, city leaders took no chances. >> that's right. major landmarks in the city were closely guarded and officers were a visible presence in city streets and subways. more from wabc's caroleena lead. >> reporter: minutes after the blasts in boston word spread quickly here in lower manhattan with many clinging to social media for updates including wesley webb whose family lives near boston city center. >> just like not being there, not knowing exactly what is happening, like, step by step. it's like, hold on, okay, let me take a breather, make sure everybody is okay. >> reporter: nypd stepped up security focusing resources on hotels and prominent locations. mayor michael bloomberg says critical response vehicles are monitoring the city. and officials are watching live feeds from the nypd's high-tech camera network in congested areas. >> here in new york city, we immediately took steps to

prepare for the possibility of a related attack. there is nothing we know that it going to happen but we have to be prepared. >> reporter: outside the event stood heavily armed officers carrying automatic weapons. in lower manhattan, police peeked in cars. on the west side highway, new yorkers were yet again confronted with even more evidence of this heightened police presence. >> very nervous. very nervous. i was a part of september 11th. yeah, stuck underground at exchange place. that was kind of an eerie feeling. >> reporter: mayor michael bloomberg says there are 1,000 people assigned to counterterrorism and all of them have been deployed. and it will stay that way until we learn more about the boston explosions. reporting in times square, carolina leed, abc news, new york. >> that woman put it best, an eerie feeling. >> that's right. new york was one of several places that were heavily secured

and patrolled by almost everybody. and we're talking about london also. they have a marathon coming up. >> marathon coming up, yes. >> april 21st. washington, d.c., transit police were out in force. and they created a perimeter around the white house, just to make sure. there were no -- nobody said anything was going to happen. they just wanted to make sure. >> cities around the nation kind of tense this morning. coming up personal insight into the tragedy. >> unforgettable images from the past day in boston. you are watching a special edition of "world news now." around the white house, just to make sure. there were no, nobody said anything was going to happen. just wanted to make sure. >> cities around the nation kind of tense this morning. coming up personal insight into the tragedy. >> unforgettable images from the past day in boston. you are watching a special edition of "world news now." [ female announcer ] crest plus scope celebrates the daring ones.

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happening. this really is a special time for the city. to see this happen to such a wonderful group of people. because working there, they imm. and this is such a tragic event. but i will say this, boston is the type of town, they don't like to be messed with. yes, they are tough people, resilient and i know they will come back stronger. of all the places for this to happen, boston is known for its world class hospitals. so you know they were prepared for something like this. they're getting the best treatment that they could get. >> my experience watching this obviously, the obvious feelings of just shock and horror and sadness all that. but social media really struck me. i just got on twitter recently. we talked about that on the show. i went right to it and i got lots and lots of updates. it's really amazing how that

works during a crisis like that. also, on my facebook page. most of my friends tend to be from new york because of where i live. and seeing them say, love to boston. boston we love you. boston in our prayers, made me realize how the rest of the country must have felt about new york on september 1 >> on a day like today we absolutely. well, there were so many cameras at the marathon to capture that moment of fry utri at the finish line. >> no surprise the pictures of the attack were truly startling fromts ts after, it was caught on camera. stunning images that day. ♪ ♪

terror at the boston marathon from celebration to chaos. >> terror strikes america's oldest show of competitive spirit, a deadly display of hate which turned scenes of joy into visions of war. >> we saw the first bomb go off. people -- i'm sorry -- in the streets. >> i saw one guy with his legs

gone at the knees and some ankles and feet missing. >> this morning a vow to catch the killer and the nation's highest office. >> any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice. >> it is tuesday, april 16th. and good morning. the city of boston is waking up to face its new reality as a target of terror. in a heartbeat the big city event with the small town family feel went up in smoke. shattered by two explosions. >> here is what we know. three are dead, 150 are injured many seriously and investigators are scrambling for answers. >> abc's tahman bradley joins us from boston with the latest. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, diana, good morning, john. it is a difficult morning here in boston. one of many difficult mornings to come. today resident also put on a

brave face and head back to work after their city was shattered by bombs. this morning, the city of boston is on heightened alert less than 24 hours after terror erupted. thousands were celebrating patriots day running in the city's marathon when just a few yards from the finish line, at 2:50 p.m., the first bomb explodes. >> multiple people down here, okay. i don't know what the cause is. stand by. >> reporter: chaos ensued amid the white smoke, just seconds later, another explosion. at least three people were killed including an 8-year-old boy. more than 140 injured. >> a large puff of smoke and then ultimate chaos, everybody running everywhere. >> i saw quite a few casualties coming back. i saw one guy with his legs gone at the knee and some ankles and feet missing. shrapnel wounds on people on the